


Mistake

by RogueRoulette



Series: Mistakes [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Incredible Hulk - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, M/M, Unhappy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-13
Updated: 2014-11-13
Packaged: 2018-02-25 04:40:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2608811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RogueRoulette/pseuds/RogueRoulette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce has loved his time at Stark Tower (now Avengers Tower) and he loved Tony. That love was what made this decision so hard, but it had to be done. Bruce was dangerous, and with General Ross just beyond the horizon gunning to take Bruce down once and for all, Bruce was left with little choice. He has to leave, but not without saying goodbye.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mistake

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this as a prompt for a friend with a serious Science Boyfriends problem. Yes Mel, it's a problem. Get your butt to fandom rehab. Anyway, after sending her this copy, I was told to rewrite it with a happier ending, which I'm in the process of editing as we speak. If that's something you would like to read, just leave me a comment and I'll look into spending the edit process up and post it. Enjoy

Bruce zipped his suitcase closed, hefting it into his hand. For a bag containing the remnants of his entire life, it was rather light. He took one final glance around the room: barren and empty. Silently he slipped through the doorway, closing the door softly behind him. He walked over to the elevator, pressing the button firmly and waiting patiently as the lit numbers counted up. He’d miss this place, the tower he had started to call home. He had felt safe there for the first time in what seemed like forever. Mostly, he’d miss the man who built it.

“Where are you going?” called a cold voice.

Bruce spun around, surprised to see the woman standing behind him. Pepper Potts stood tall, arm acrossed at her chest, what could only be judgement gleaming in her eyes.

“Tony’s floor” He lied smoothly. Her eyebrow raised.

“With a suit case? I doubt it. So, how about the truth? You’re leaving him aren’t you? Running off to some third world country because Ross spooked you into losing control.”

“Ross isn’t going to stop coming after me just because Tony’s involved. He’ll never stop, not until he has me detained and he’ll use Tony to do it.”

“Tony practically built every weapon the government owns. Ross and his army of meatheads certainly don’t stand a chance against him. He built this tower to withstand the power of gods, a few mortals with big sticks aren’t going to scare him. So, try again.”

“I’m dangerous. I’m a living time bomb and it’s only a matter of time until I blow and take everyone in this tower with me. The Other Guy hurts people, eventually it’s going to be Tony’s turn.”

“You know Tony doesn’t care about that.”

“I do,” Bruce insisted. “I care because it’s Tony and I can’t hurt him.”

“You’re already hurting him. You will hurt him the minute he finds out you left and every minute after. You’re just running away so you won’t have to watch.”

“He probably already knows. He’s most likely watching right now”

“You know as well as I do that he’s in his lab and won’t come out until he’s finished. He certainly isn’t watching the tapes every second of everyday. That’s why you chose now.”

“I have to leave. You don’t understand.”

“No, you’re right I don’t. I don’t think I ever will, but you can leave. That’s fine, it’s your choice. But first, you have to tell him.”

“What?”

“You have to tell him you’re leaving. That’s the condition. You tell him you are leaving him and you get to walk out scott free.”

“He’ll never let me go.”

Pepper laughed humorlessly. It was a cold sound that grated against Bruce’s ears like metal on a chalkboard.

“Yes he will. That’s the best part. Because he’s not that kind of person; he won’t make people stay, won’t hold people prisoner. He’s too kind, too understanding for that. So no, he won’t make you stay. He will beat himself up over it for days, months, years instead. Torture himself with all the things he could have done differently on the vague hope that maybe you would have stayed, but he will respect your wishes. He will understand, because thats what people do. They walk through his doors, worm their ways into his heart, and then they turn around and saunter away, leaving nothing behind but a war path of heartbreak and destruction in their path. That’s why you get to tell him yourself. You get to walk through his door and pull him from his machinery. You get to watch his face light up like you’re the only person he wants to see, like its Christmas and his birthday all rolled into one. Then, you get to watch his face crumple, a sign of weakness for just a moment, as the news sets in. The rush of emotions cross his features: betrayal, agony,anger, understanding, and then finally defeat. You get to watch it all in that brief second before the mask snaps in place. His show mask, the one devoid of emotions. The one that shows nothing, says nothing, feels nothing; the one that makes you wonder if he feels anything at all, as if he were were made of metal, as robotic as his inventions. You get to hear the closed, cold, guarded words as he tells you he understand and how he wishes you the best and that you have a place here if you ever need one. He will lie to you through those eyes, tell you that he will be okay and that you won’t have to worry.” 

Tears appeared in Pepper’s clear, pain-filled, blue eyes, her cheeks turning pink under the strain of refusing to let them fall.

“Then you will walk out the door. You will ride the elevator down stairs and you will leave. But I want you to know this. I want you to know that the moment you walk through those doors, the moment you leave him here alone is the moment that everything you have will vanish. Everything you are will be eliminated. I will destroy every remnant of you. I will set fire to everything you touched until every trace of you in eradicated wholly and fully. I want you to leave with the image of his face in your mind and the knowledge that while I may be unable to make him forget you, I will ensure that you can’t haunt him any longer. You are a coward to run away, but at least you get the privilege of not having to see the wreckage you leave in your wake. You don’t have to watch him stumble to pick up the remains of his broken heart and put them back together, all the while wondering if maybe this time he won’t be able to find them all.”

The elevator door dinged as it slid open, forgotten, a puff of cool air breathing against his back.

“I’m not trying to hurt him”

“You are and you will. You think you are the first to come in here and rip his heart straight from his chest? It’s an overrated and overused act. You aren’t the first, and you probably won’t be the last. People seem to think that walking on Tony Stark is a game. Ten points if he cries. Fifty if he dies.”

“I’m doing this for him, to protect him!”

“You think this is for him, protecting him? Then you are a coward and an idiot. You aren’t protecting him. You’re only protecting yourself. So go and tell him. Watch the light bled from his eyes and then walk out the door. Know that the second you leave is the second you lose him. You lose everything. You will no longer be allowed on Stark property, regardless of what he says. You will never speak to him again. You will never see him. The closest you will get to him is your own bittersweet memories and whatever heinous lies that press decide to print that day.”

Pepper finished her speech breathless, fiery anger flashing in her eyes. Bruce stared at her before looking away.

“And if I don’t?”

“You want to challenge the full strength of Stark industries? I have more than just a few higher up contacts within the military. One in particular who would like nothing more than to flay you alive over an open fire for hurting Tony.”

“Fine,” Bruce sighed. He gripped his bag tightly as he stepped inside the elevator, -Pepper stepping in behind him- and swiftly pressed the button for Tony’s workshop. The silence that followed the small trip was stifling, threatening to overcome Bruce. His grip on the bag didn’t loosen as his other hand reached up to grip his lower arm around the wrist. The bell dinged again, doors sliding open to reveal one of his favorite rooms in the tower.The sound of loud rock-and-roll assaulted his ears, a surprisingly comforting sound. Pepper gestured towards the open door, face stony. Bruce placed his bag on the floor and stepped into the cool air of the workshop. Tony always liked it better that way, reminded him less of past horrors and kept his ‘toys’ from overheating. Bruce had started to like it, too.

Bruce ambled into the tower, back stiff and rod-straight. His hand slipped along the control panel, turning the loud bass of AC/DC down. Tony froze from his position in front of his armor, swiveling around to glare at whomever had turned his beloved tunes down. His back straightened as he saw Bruce, eyes lighting up as a bright grin appeared.

“Brucey baby! I was wondering where you had wandered off to.”

Bruce swallowed thickly, unable to open his mouth and actually start talking. He was vaguely aware of the the elevators closing and Mrs. Potts taking her leave. Leaving him here to break Tony to be pieces, but sure to come back to try and pick them back up. His silence seemed to que Tony into something; his head tilted to the side and his grin turned troubled.

“Something wrong?”

Bruce stared into warm chocolate eyes, throat tight and mouth dry. He swallowed, trying to force the words out of his mouth, Pepper’s words echoing in his ears.

“I’m leaving.” He finally forced out, words rushing together. Tony blinked at him stunned and confused.

“Where are you...?” His voice trailed off as the knowledge of the words meaning dawned on him. _Leaving._ His hands fell to his sides, shoulders slumping. Emotions flashed across his face, so quick they were almost impossible to see. Confusion, anger, pain, guilt, agony, understanding, defeat, all in rapid succession until the mask clicked into place. His back straightened and his hands changed, coming to rest against his pockets, thumbs tucked in neatly. His head tilted upwards as the light bled from his eyes, turning them cold and calculating. The mask Bruce hated so much, had tried so hard to destroy, crashed into being and it was directed at him. Eyes he was so used to seeing looking back at him with love and compassion and joy stared at him in icey neutrality. The scene played out, just as he had imagined it would, just as Pepper had told him. For a single moment he had seen Tony falling to pieces; now he saw nothing.

“I see.” Tony’s voice was as unfeeling as he looked back, betraying nothing. This was the voice that Bruce had only heard in regards of Tony’s father, Stan, Vanco, his enemies. The people that had stepped on Tony time and time again and suddenly Bruce was one of them. His heart shattered.

“I’m sorry, I just can’t stay. Not with Ross and the Other Guy.”

“I understand. If you ever find yourself in New York again, feel free to drop by. You know you always have a place here at Stark Tower.” 

There was the offer, just like Bruce knew Tony would give, just like Pepper told him would come.

“You’re not going to fight me on this?”

“Bruce, that’s all I’ve done up to this point. If you‘re still determined to leave even after everything, then I can’t stop you.”

Bruce paused, taking in Tony’s face and the blank look in his usually so expressive chocolate eyes.

“Will you be alright?” A selfish question, there simply prove a theory already known as fact.

“Fine. Worry more about yourself than me. I’ve got a tower filled to the brim with superheros. You’re the one going to be in the middle of no-where running from an elite military operation.”

Point. Again.

“Well I guess this is goodbye then.”

“It would seem so. Take care of yourself Doctor Banner.”

Tony never called him Doctor Banner, not anymore. It was always variations of his name, never so formal. No since the day they met. It stung, a pain deep in his heart at those closed off _unfamiliar_ words. Bruce nodded, turning to walk out the door. Behind him, the angry sounds of rock and roll blared to life and Bruce, in a moment of his own weakness, turned. Tony stood over his workbench, back to Bruce, with stiff shoulders and head bent. Unmoving.

Bruce rode the elevator all the way to the bottom floor, the look on Tony’s face and Pepper’s words spinning in circles in his head. Unshed tears burned in Bruce’s eyes. A soft sob escaped his throat, broken and pain filled. He struggled to pull himself together as the doors slid open and he stepped out, bag in tow. He slowly walked out of the front door and down the main steps to the curb against the road. A cab awaited him, driver leaning against the door.

“Well it’s about time,” He growled in annoyance. “I was beginning to wonder if you were planning to show.”

“No, I’m coming.” Bruce whispered. The driver popped the back trunk and Bruce tucked his singular bag into the back crevice. He glanced back at the tower as he stepped back around and into the waiting car. In front of him, the driver slid into his own seat and leaned back.

“Where to?” he asked. Bruce paid him no attention,not to be rude but simply because he couldn’t take his eyes off the tower. Just a few years ago, he avoided buildings like these like the plague. He avoided such large cities and populated areas. It never felt safe, too much like Harlem. But now, now it felt like home. He could no longer imagine himself anywhere but here. In this city. In this tower. In the arms of the man he had just broken and left behind in pieces.

“Hey!”

Could he truly leave all of this behind? Give up the best thing to have happened to him since Betty, perhaps even further? Give up one of the few people in the world to see him as a man. One of the few to not fear him or the Hulk. The only one to see the Hulk as a person, as an extension of himself.

“Hey buddy? Destination, something?”

On the other hand, could he risk staying? Risk Tony in such a fashion? The other-guy was dangerous, no matter how much Tony tried to say otherwise. Everywhere he went, he left destruction in his path. People died in droves any time the Hulk even sees the light of day. Could he risk Tony’s life? The idea of Tony being hurt caused Bruce’s heart to lurch painfully in his chest. The answer was obvious, no matter how much it hurt. He’s made a lot of mistakes in his life, built a lot of regrets, but he would never regret Tony. Not the time spent with him, nor the pain afterwards. Bruce had to protect Tony, no matter the cost.

“The nearest airport if you please.”


End file.
